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Thumbs up for ‘Deadpool 2,’ ‘Isle of Dogs,’ ‘Infinity War’

There have been so many good movies out lately, I can barely keep up. I saw the new Star Wars movie and “Deadpool 2” in the same weekend. (You can see my “Solo” review below this post.)

Superhero flicks are not usually my favorite genre, but lately I find myself more and more drawn to them, and I guess I’m not alone because they’re big hits at the box office too.

I think part of the reason, for me anyway, is that there are so many bad guys in real life, in the world, in the news. It’s very disheartening. Superhero movies offer a temporary escape – we can make believe that there are good people out there who have magical powers to kick the bad guys’ asses.

If these ass kickers can make me laugh, so much the better.

‘Deadpool 2’

If you liked the first Deadpool, you’ll like this one too. I loved it. I laughed, I cried. Mostly I laughed. If you haven’t seen the first one yet, check it out – as long as you’re OK with raunchy humor.

The thing that’s refreshing and unique about Deadpool is that he’s not a typical comic book hero – no, I’m not referring to his double entendres, but to his self-awareness; he knows all the tropes and clichés and he “breaks the fourth wall” – that invisible wall that separates the characters from the audience. He looks at the camera and says things like:

Ryan Reynolds is great as Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, the wisecracking mutant superhero, and I love the new characters in the sequel too. I think my favorites are Zazie Beetz as Domino, because she was funny and badass, and Cable, because I love Josh Brolin.

Morena Baccarin reprises her role as Wade’s adorable, hooker-with-a-heart-of gold fiancée Vanessa. There are some surprisingly touching moments in the film, considering the slapstick tone of the movie. (I wasn’t joking when I said I cried). That’s not to say that Deadpool is deep and meaningful, but if you want to be entertained and amused for two hours, go see it. Just remember it’s rated R, so don’t bring the kids.

‘Isle of Dogs’

If you’re familiar with writer and director Wes Anderson, you know he’s known for his quirkiness. I was especially drawn to this film because of the endearing characters – dogs. But don’t be fooled – even though these are cute and cuddly stop-motion canines, this isn’t a kid movie. The dogs (voiced by Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Cranston, and Ed Norton, among others) are quarantined on a trash island in a dystopian Japan.

I liked it, but it was darker and more disturbing than Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

‘Avengers: Infinity War’

This is my favorite Avengers film so far. The addition of other Marvel characters was what made the movie. I love the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and the characters from “Black Panther.” It was fun, and funny, to see some of them meeting each other for the first time.

It’s not all fun and games though – the reason they are all meeting each other is because they are joining forces to fight a big, bad villain named Thanos. The problem of Thanos (which began in other Marvel films) comes to a head in “Infinity War.”

The ensemble cast was the best part of this movie, but it was also more engaging than previous installments because it was a better story. This particular story is based on “The Infinity Gauntlet” and “Infinity” comic books from 1991 and 2013, respectively. (If you want to know more about the Infinity Gauntlet, scroll down a few posts.)

I am not going to post any spoilers. All I’m going to say is that the next Avengers movie can’t come soon enough.

Here are some other films I’m looking forward to:

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’

I was a little bit bummed that Ant-Man didn’t make an appearance in “Infinity War,” since I love Paul Rudd, but I’m looking forward to seeing him in “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” which also stars Evangeline Lilly.

The sequel to 2015’s “Ant-Man” is set after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” and will be in theaters July 6.

‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard star in this sequel to the 2015 movie, and Jeff Goldblum returns as Dr. Ian Malcolm (although his part is rumored to be more of a cameo appearance).

The sequel is said to be darker and scarier than the first “Jurassic World” movie, and the trailer does have more of a horror feel to it. Director J.A. Bayona said it’s influenced by Alfred Hitchcock movies and 1979’s “Dracula.” It sounds like a departure from the other Jurassic films. We’ll see if it’s a change for the better or worse, on June 22.

‘Mary Poppins Returns’

I feel the same way about Emily Blunt playing the magical nanny as I do about Alden Ahrenreich as Han Solo. Han will always be Harrison Ford to me, and Mary Poppins is Julie Andrews. Can anyone else really be practically perfect in every way?

That being said, I’m willing to give it a chance. After all, “Solo” exceeded my expectations. To make the medicine go down, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, and Lin Manuel Miranda also star, and Dick Van Dyke will have a cameo. It comes out on Christmas Day, so it should be a jolly holiday with Mary.

‘Aquaman’

Also expected to come out in December is “Aquaman.” The sixth film in the DC Extended Universe follows the events in last year’s “Justice League.” The heir to the underwater city of Atlantis, Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, who is half human and half Atlantean, is caught in a battle between his two worlds.

I’ve heard this is going to be an origin story, and I’m a sucker for a good origin story. Time will tell if the story is good. Honestly, I’m going to go see it no matter what because Jason Momoa: